St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-17
,hown 10 the people in Norway, Swedei.
nd AnNA,nni.l-
ME NORWAY OF OLD.
An Interesting Sketch of Its Hi.

An Interesting Sketch OF ts His
tory--Breaking the Yoke--The
Treaty of Kiel.
To the average ciS-ktlantic, Norway
is, as we have said before, but the land
OF ford, fields. viking and saga. Yet
within the last two or three decades a
political and constitutional revolution OF
= most practical and instructive charac-
ter has been accomplishing itself in this
ultima Thule of European system.
\ brief and general sketch
If its course may serve to call attention
more seriously to the subject. The prim-
tive or heathen independence of Nor
way ended with King IIaElon V. in 1919.
N the absence OF direct male heirs, the
,roWn of Norway passed at that jucturc
o llakOn'S daughters son, MagnuS, WHO
vas at the same time son of King Eric of
sweden and heir to the Swedish throne.
vt the beginning of this connection, the
IniOn of the two Kingdoms was only i'll
the person of the common Monarch and
was not Il consolidation of the political
institutions of the two states. The early
death of Eric, about 1870, brought
Sweden under the sovereignty of
!Iakon VI. and re-eStablished, mOmen-
tarily, the personal union of the
Two states. Hakon married the
Princess Margaret, of Denmark, and
opened thus the way for the union of
Denmark with Norway When she
Inion of the three Scandinavian king
IONS was accomplished Q3S9.) 1t was
still but
\ PERSONAL UNION.
1t was, however. a first step towards
political and institutional union. But
in the way of a successful realization of
such a consolidation stood. at that june
ture many difficulties. The political civ
iliZation of the three states was still upon
far too low stage for any such form of
union. and the Swedish rebellion of 1920
against the union king, Christian H., re-
suited in the withdrawal of Sweden
from any connection with the other two
states and in the elevation of the house
The resistance of Norway to the
Danish dynasty was not so success
full. 1t was, on the contrary, conf
plete failure. The rebellion of the Nor
wegian Nationals, under. the leadership
of Archbishop Olaf lngebrktSOn. coli
tinued from 1872 to 1887, and at its un-
successful termination the king, Chris
tian Ill, declared that Norway had for
feited its political autonomy altogether
by the rebellion and should thenceforth
be governed as province to the Danish
kingdom. Thus the history of
Norway runs without any politi-
cal change worth notice until in 1907,
when the NOrWegianS got excited over
the idea of
BECOMING A FREE STATE AGAIN,
chiefly on account of England. During
the seven years following the treaty of
Filsit, Norway was left to shift for it
self. Its commerce destroyed, its
finances in confusion, and every import
cut Off, it suffered those bitter
experiences which lead to in
dependence. The issue, one might
say, was precipitated by the attitude of
Russia to Sweden in 1872. Napoleon
and Alexander had broken friendship
over the Interpretation OF the provisions
of the Tilsit agreement relating to Ma
pOleOn's continental SYSTEM" and
Alexander was busy constructing the
destined to prove his destruction. The
ear desired to win Sweden for
the coalition, and agreed with the
Swedish king that the reward for his
aid should be Norway, and nothing less.
Under this indueement the king joined
his forces to those of the allies, and
after the overthrow of Napoleon at Leip-
sic, Oct. 10, 1913, the Swedish troops,
supported by detachmentS of the allied
army, moved into Denmark and forced
the Danish king, Frederic VI, to the
treaty of Kiel (Jan. IA, 1914, surrender
ing Norway to Sweden. After seven
years of Independent existence the Nor
wegianS were not inclined to permit
themselves to be disposed of by agree
mentS
WITHOUT THEIR OWN CONSENT.
They took the ground that the Danish
king might surrender the Norwegian
crown, but that he had no right to trans
fer it. Acting upon this view, the Dan
iSh governor in Norway. Christian Fred
eric, called national convention of the
Norwegian people to meet at Eidsvold
for the purpose of considering the
affairs of Norway. This convention de-
clared Norway a free and sovereign
state, formed constitution and elected
Prince Christian king May II, 1914
Ihereupon the Swedish crown prince,
BernadOtte, marched into Norway at the
head of the Swedish army and over.
threw the newly elected king of Nor
way by force of arms. Christian
pledged himself i'll the treaty of Moss
Aug. II, 1914, to call the Nor
wegian national assembly (Storthing)
together and lay his crown in its hands.
1t met, accepted the abdicaton of King
Christian, declared the sovereignty to
have returned to the people whom il
represented, and then agreed to modi,
fed form of the Eidsvold instrument, in
a shape of a compact with the Swedish
king, whom it then ele cted king of Nor
way, Nov. 4, 1914. Herewith the
famous modern union of Norway with
Sweden was consumated.
THE MORSE EXPLORERS